Fragments
by Paradox Angel
Summary: Drabbles over the characters in The Color Blue, used to better develop the characters and to see some of the action that takes place outside of the story. Some of the drabbles contain spoilers, so please read the warning before each chapter.
1. Alive

Asuma's POV, set during raid at festival

49. Alive

To hear that Kurenai was dying was a horror that couldn't completely wrap itself around Asuma's brain. He'd heard the words, of course, and he'd understood the implications. But it didn't seem real as he wrapped her bloody body in his arms and ran hell-for-leather away from the fighting. Kurenai, dying?

Impossible.

But the blood running down his arms, staining his vest and pants, said otherwise. He ran, his mind gone, his legs moving of their own volition. The sight of Shikamaru commanding the small camp of refugees threw it all into perspective, and he'd shoved her limp body at him, his brain already mush and incapable of rational thought.

She was taken from him, taken into the deep ranks of the injured and civilians, and he stood there, blank, as she disappeared from his view.

Shikamaru shoved him down, handed him a roll of bandages and someone's injured arm, and set him to the mindless task of wrapping a mild wound.

Three arms, two legs, and four torsos later, his mind jumped back into motion.

"Kurenai!" he screamed, jumping up and tearing through the camp. Shikamaru caught him, turned him around and shoved him towards a hastily erected tent. Asuma stepped in warily, his heart pounding in his ears. He saw the sheet pulled tightly over the nearest frame and dropped to his knees in disbelief.

"Kurenai…"

"Asuma?" The weak voice made him turn, and the sweaty, disheveled form of his lover lying flat on a bedroll behind Sakura and an exhausted nurse made him drop in amazement.

Kurenai sighed.

"Poor Asuma. Is he still alive?"

"How troublesome."


	2. Clueless

**Not set in any particular time frame. Before the arrival of Naruto and the others.**

**84. Clueless**

**Wolf brushed his long bangs out of his eyes and leaned back against the wall of the restaurant, shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun. He watched Fennec lounge at the small, round table, cradling a steaming mug of coffee in her hands and smiling. In only a few moments, Oriole and Sparrow would arrive, their charges in tow, and swarm the quiet café. He would leave Fennec to their care then, and depart to gather his taichou's men. **

"**You can join me, Wolfie." Wolf grinned slowly. Fennec was patting the seat next to her, although she hadn't relinquished her hard-won coffee. He rose, felt the muscles bunch under his tired legs, and made his way to her side. He'd just put his callused palms on the rough wood of the chair when he spotted Oriole on the road, leading several of Sparrow's squad behind her. The bubbly girl waved at them, and Wolf dropped his eyes to Fennec's.**

"**Sorry, taichou," he whispered, mesmerized as always by her mismatching eyes. "Maybe another time." He painted over his apology with a white smile, and then disappeared into the alley behind the café. He clenched his hands as he cleared the alley in quick, lengthy strides, attempting to dispel the tingling feeling in his veins. His fingers longed to stroke the three small scars over his taichou's right eyebrow. His lips burned, aching to press tender kisses over her mismatched eyes. He pulled up short as he rounded the alley corner, barely escaping a collision with Sparrow. They stood for several moments, neither of them speaking a word, as she stared at him with her somber green eyes. **

"**Is there something the matter, Sparrow-san?" He shoved the words passed his lips, eager to be away from her prying eyes. He had always felt that those eyes knew too much.**

"**No," she murmured, crossing her hands behind her back. "I suppose not." He nodded sharply, and turned to go.**

"**Wolf!" The anxious shout slammed into him, froze his feet to the ground as he turned to look back at her.**

"**She's clueless, you know." Sparrow's witch fire eyes burned him, entered his blood and boiled it as he stared at her in horror. She knew? His brain sputtered and collapsed. Sparrow frowned, but chose not to comment. Instead, she rounded the corner and disappeared into the murky alleyway. **

"**Good morning, Fennec," Sparrow smiled brightly at the lithe girl as she twisted in her chair to wave. "I just saw Wolf a moment ago," she added, watching Fennec's reaction out of the corner of her eye.**

**Fennec laughed.**

"**Wolfie's such a good subordinate, don'tcha think? But really, he's almost like my brother." She grinned into her mug, humming happily as she squirmed in her chair.**

_**Of course I know, **_**Wolf's mind threw back lamely, long after Sparrow had gone. **_**I've always known. She's **_**my**_** taichou.**_


	3. Comfort

If you've only read to chapter forty in The Color Blue, and have read nothing of the prequel, then DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER. It contains informational spoilers.

92. Comfort

Since Aelu had returned, so precious few of Hinata's thoughts had been gentle. She'd never held much hope of attaining Naruto's love, so once she'd had the chance in her trembling fingertips, she'd caged it tightly in her grasp, anchored it to her soul and sent up thankful prayers to every god she could think of. Now that her fragile, burgeoning hope was being crushed under the weight of Naruto's love for the pink-haired girl, Hinata found her thoughts turning to knives, sharp and angry. She watched sadly out the front window, her deft fingers holding the curtains back just enough for her to see out. Naruto and Aelu were exchanging a few words, laughing in a companionable bubble of happiness. It made Hinata roil inside, uneasy and afraid. Her heart beat a strange, terrified tattoo in her chest as she watched him wave goodbye and step up to the front door.

If he was surprised to find her standing there, waiting for him, on the other side of the door, he didn't show it. Instead, he shut the door with a quiet click and trudged over to her, throwing his arms wearily around her waist and burying his nose in her neck.

"I'm home," he whispered quietly, nuzzling under her chin. It was a small comfort, to hear that this was his home.

"Welcome back," she whispered in return, her arms opening to enfold him.


	4. Curious

**Technically, this takes place after The Color Blue, and can be taken as a stand-alone oneshot that doesn't even take place in the same universe as The Color Blue. I'm also immensely proud of it. :D**

**95. Curious**

**Shikamaru was not a curious person. He knew things, or he didn't. He didn't go searching for answers; he let them come to him.**

**Temari was not a curious person. She had a job to do, and brothers to look after, and she was deadly serious at times that needn't call for it. She didn't have the time to be curious.**

**The letter Shikamaru received from Kankuro was curious. The masked puppeteer had outlined in five sentences why he though the two would match well. Shikamaru and Temari. Shikamaru could find a dozen faults in the man's logic without even trying. But he put on his hitai-ate and went to the meeting anyway.**

**The order Temari received from the Kazekage was curious. Meet with Shikamaru? And there had been forceful undertones of dates and marriage. She could plot a dozen strategies to ensure the meeting would end in disaster, a handful of ways to avoid it altogether. But she slid on her boots and tightened her ponytails and left without argument.**

**Later, the others would wonder what had been said. Ino would tactlessly comment on Shikamaru's tousled hair. Gaara would clench his lips in distaste at the fading mark on Temari's neck. And when the two disappeared again, their friends would ask them what they could possibly have in common. A layabout genius from the Land of Fire and a workaholic from the upper echelon of Suna.**

**They would lick their lips and smile. "I'm…**_**curious."**_


	5. Don't Go

Set from Sparrow's POV regarding her former team leader.

3. Don't Go

Later there would be whispers among the team that she had been too young to participate in a raid. Later there would be counterarguments, raised voices, angry shouts that it had been his decision and he'd made it.

Later she'd secrete herself in his room and pull the blinds close and cry.

Because, when everything was said and done, when the team had finished arguing and grieving and throwing things, when Jackal had been buried and mourned, she knew. She'd been the cause of his death.

A moment of incaution in the heat of battle. She'd been a silly girl only trying to please him, to impress him.

He'd taken the kunai meant for her.

Surely he hadn't thought it was poisoned. He'd not meant for it to go so deep into his chest.

But it had.

In that moment, when he'd noticed, she'd seen his eyes. Wide and ocean-lightning-horrified blue. He'd turned to her, caught her hand as he'd collapsed on his knees, scraping them on the harsh gravel.

She couldn't imagine what she must have looked like then. Terrified, she imagined. Horrified.

He'd looked calm, except for the darting eyes. They had screamed over her face, as if burning into his memory the face of the girl who'd killed him.

"Sparro-"

"Don't go!" she'd screamed, throwing her arms around his neck, careful of the kunai still protruding from his chest. "Jackal-sama, please!"

He'd hushed her then, and cradled her in his weak arms. He'd rubbed down her hair until her litany of "don't gos" had quieted. The sounds of fighting had long gone, and the horrible whine of silence had settled into her ears.

"Jackal?" Canis had stood over them, looking horrified. He'd waved the man away with a jerky hand and pushed her off his lap.

"Sparrow-chan," he'd whispered, his voice weakening but warm as he lifted his trembling hand to cup her chin. "Suzume-chan."

The sound of her real name had made her look up, and she regretted it. She had seen the soul drain from his eyes as his fingers grew cold under her chin. And then his body had crumpled over her, pinning her against the alley road.

Under the dim light of her candle, under Jackal's bed covers, under the freezing, numbing guilt of what she'd done, Sparrow lay trembling and crying, trying to block out the quiet voices of her teammates through the thin walls.

"Don't go, Jackal-sama," she whimpered into the sheets, hands clenching and unclenching in a desperate bid to hold him to her once more. "Don't go."


	6. Don't Wait Up

Kakashi, acknowledging Fennec.

99. Don't Wait Up

Kakashi wasn't naïve. Certainly, he was unaware of the depth of Fennec's emotions. Certainly, he didn't understand affection or love to the greatest extent. Certainly, he'd been baffled.

But he wasn't naïve.

He understood that her staring was a passive attempt to capture his attention. That she was admiring him from afar, in probably the only way she could convey her feelings.

But he was in the dark.

He didn't know that she'd been following him, teasing him, stealing his book and parading around town with it. He didn't know that her emotions were more than the mirroring crushes Sasuke's fans had on the Uchiha. He didn't know that her lieutenant would trade his right arm to be in his place. He didn't know that the girl was more scarred than just the three lines over her eye, and that she could see those same scars deep inside him as well.

Kakashi didn't know what to do.

He was her senior by at least a decade, a decidedly lazy, perverted man with vague aspirations and no drive towards love or family. She was a young girl packed with emotions and moods, unequivocally strong in all the ways that mattered. They were pieces to two different puzzles. They wouldn't fit.

That didn't mean he wasn't touched.

She wasn't the first person to be taken with him, though perhaps she was, relatively, the youngest. She wasn't the prettiest, or the strongest, or the smartest. As far as he knew, she hadn't done anything more than stare at him longingly. But somehow, her respect for the distance between them, her unabashed boldness in any situation, her fervent loyalty to his student touched him in a way that was foreign and unknown.

Kakashi tightened the straps of his sandals and stretched his feet experimentally before leaving the squad house he shared with his fellow Konoha-nin. He turned the corners of Guild quietly and deftly, his eye darting through the darkness in search of threats. It paused momentarily and rested on Fennec as she and her lieutenant rounded a second corner, the three of them converging on the main road to Tigerdragon's mansion. He walked quickly over, before he could change his mind, and whispered in her ear.

"Don't wait up, okay?"

He was gone then, in a swirl of dust.


	7. Doubt

Hinata's thoughts. However, this chapter contains SPOILERS if you haven't finished reading the prequel to The Color Blue, and haven't gotten past the fortieth chapter of The Color Blue.

97. Doubt

Hinata twisted the sleeve of her jacket and stared up at the stars. The hill where they'd confessed the night the festival had gone awry was the only place she could think of to be alone. And now she was staring up at the fiery balls of light in the sky and trying to alleviate her doubts.

She'd seen the way Naruto had looked at Aelu. A strange mix of sorrow and overwhelming love. He'd held back, though. He'd hugged her gently and smiled and spoken to her in soft words. They'd been in love, he told her later. And she was supposed to have died. He'd taken it as best he could.

The doubt twisted in Hinata's breast.

She and Naruto had confessed in this very spot, more or less. He'd promised to _try._ He'd been so unused to love and human contact that he'd been unsure of his feelings, unsure if he could return the sentiment.

A single tear dripped down Hinata's cheek.

He hadn't needed to _try_ with _her. _


	8. Envious

Set ages before The Color Blue, but just after its prequel. Spoilers for both stories. Set from the POV of his Quadgram friends, mostly the trio.

87. Envious

They sent him away that morning, among showers of hugs and tears. They wondered when he'd decided. If it was Aelu's death that had thrown him over the edge. But no, they knew that had only been a means to an end. He'd always planned to return to Konoha, to reclaim his dignity and prove himself. But surely her death hadn't helped. They couldn't help blaming her. He was leaving them now, most likely pushed away by her death. They couldn't help hating Konoha. He was leaving them now, for a place he had no part in. For a place that had never wanted him, but that he had desired more than air and love and life and laughter. For a place that could make his dreams come true.

Of course they were envious.

That didn't mean they wouldn't let him go.


	9. Fate

Set somewhere towards the end of The Color Blue.

48. Fate

Neji had once believed in fate. An irrevocable destiny not of his own choosing. Naruto had rather brilliantly shattered that belief.

"It won't end well," Oriole told him one night, running her fingers over his as they lounged on his bed. The other girls could be heard out in the hallway, chattering and walking around. Neji clenched his hand more tightly around her own and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What won't end well?"

"This. Us."

"Why would you say that?"

"It can't end well."

"Why not?"

"It just can't." She looked away, focused her eyes on the door, shut tight against her teammates to give them a modicum of privacy in the overcrowded squad house.

"I don't believe in fate…not anymore." He turned and stared at her, his all-seeing eyes trying and failing to find the fault lines this insecurity stemmed from.

"I don't believe in fate at all," she smirked and turned back to him, her curls bouncing.

"Then?"

"I do believe in inevitability."

"They're the same thing."

"Not at all."

"They are."

"They're not." Neji frowned at her and she smiled. "Fate controls everything," she explained, lying on her front and squeezing his hand. Her eyes never left his. "And fate sure as Hell doesn't control me. I make my own choices, my own future." She saw him nod, follow her logic, and she continued. "But inevitability is one thing being decided, one thing that can't be changed. And I know we can't stay together. It's already been decided."

Neji glared and she frowned and leaned her face down to their clasped hands, running his warm fingers over her face. He froze when he felt a warm wetness on his fingertips, and he strained his ears to hear the hoarse voice coming from her lips.

"It's not that I don't want to, okay? I do. I do, I do, I do. I want to more than anything. If I thought it could be changed, I'd do it. I'd change it. I'd fight it as hard as I could and throw it back into fate's bitch-ass face and laugh. But I can't. It's inevitable." She spat the word and clenched his hand roughly, causing the bones to grind together.

"Oriole, I don't understand." He smoothed back her curls and lifted her tear-streaked face so that he could look in her eyes. She laughed, a weak, dark chuckle that emanated from deep inside her, and then she shook her head.

"Never mind," she whispered, turning away and facing the door again, as though the answer would walk through.

"Oriole." He turned her back around, made her face him.

"I can't explain," she said helplessly, fingers fisting in his rumpled comforter. He shook his head and pulled her into his arms.

"Then don't," he said quietly, running his hands down her back. He understood some things couldn't be said. "Just promise me something."

She nodded hesitantly.

"Fight it. Fight it with all you have. Fight, and throw it back at fate, and laugh with me afterwards. Fight it, Oriole."

She nodded slowly, tiredly, and squeezed her hands around his arms.

"Promise me."

"I promise," she sighed.

"Good girl," he grinned, bending down for a kiss_._


	10. Fire

41. Fire

She had been born a merchant's daughter. Young as she was, she'd understood that they were neither poor nor rich, that her mother's swelling belly was going to be another mouth to feed, and that her father's increasingly lined mouth meant future beatings if she were incautious. She'd understood that her father believed children should be seen and not heard, that her mother was too ill to play and that the girls down the street had more than enough marbles for her to join them in a quick game when the yelling started. So she'd gone, quiet as a church mouse, and disappeared out her bedroom window when her father in his towering, quiet fury had erupted and her aching, tired mother had exploded back.

They'd played five rounds that morning, and she'd managed to lose them all, something unusual for her luck. She could remember later that her lead marble had been the strange shade of orange salamander skin, and that the girls had wanted her to keep it, saying it was too ugly for their sets. She'd dropped the shiny trinket into her pocket around dinnertime and crept back, uncertain if the fight had concluded.

The very red flames of the fire engulfing her house had made her stop walking. She'd run forward then, screaming, and a man had snatched her, pulling her away from the blistering heat. She'd watched, uncomprehending, as their beautiful house collapsed on itself like a wilting flower, red tendrils of flame rising into the sky. She'd wept unknowingly as the screams inside the house quieted and died, her body wracked with tremors. While the neighborhood worked tirelessly to extinguish the fire, Oriole slipped away into the crowd. There was nothing left for her there but the bones of her former life.

Others were always curious about her method of fighting. The few who knew the story of her awakening as a ninja were more curious. It seemed unthinkable to them to fight the same way her parents had been murdered.

They didn't understand that the sounds of explosion covered the sounds of screaming.


	11. For You

SO MANY SPOILERS.

Do not read if you have not read all of the prequel, and past chapter forty in The Color Blue.

If you do, I cannot be held responsible.

43. For You

The moment she'd met him, she'd been entranced. He'd accidentally told her his name, and yet he'd embarrassedly asked her to disregard it, and had treated her like a friend. In a world of set rules and dangers, he'd been an unknown.

She loved him for it.

That was why, as Lion had rushed forward to strike the death blow, she'd thrown herself in the way. Fox, Naruto, hadn't seen it coming. The thought of him lying bleeding and dying on the cold stone of the street had sent quickfire through her muscles. She'd barely felt the kunai as it struck her chest, although Naruto's scream had reverberated through the ground and echoed in her bones. His voice had struck a solemn melody in her ears as she'd sunk into darkness.

She woke in Dolphin's nursing ward, a tight bandage over her chest. Dolphin hovered nearby, looking concerned. The medic rose and crossed to the door, but Aelu snatched the woman's coat sleeve and pulled her back.

"Tell him I died." The words came out thickly, but she said them. Dolphin stared at her uncomprehendingly, and Aelu did her best to explain.

Fox-Naruto- would never leave her. Not willingly. Because as little love as she'd encountered in Quadgram, being what she was, he'd somehow encountered less. All his dreams, all his aspirations for Konoha, would be cast to the wayside for her. And she couldn't allow it.

Dolphin left then, to tell him on the other side of the door. There was a broken, strangled cry that dissolved into quiet sobs, and she thought she could hear Fennec, Oriole and Sparrow attempting to comfort him.

He left the next day. Asayake-nee-chan told her, in a toneless, numb voice. Only a few others knew her death was a sham. Dolphin wouldn't speak to her. Tigerdragon seemed to stare through her and understand, sending her far, far away. Cloaked in a heavy hooded coat, she left Quadgram by horse the morning after Naruto, heading the opposite way.

She'd loved him, those long years ago, when he'd told her his name without trepidation, and then asked her to forget, a blush on his face.

She loved him still.

So she would let him go.


	12. Frustrated

Set towards the end of The Color Blue.

4. Frustrated

Sasuke was endlessly frustrated. Kakashi irked him with his laziness. Naruto chafed him with his attitude and constantly growing strength. Itachi made him fume and train and, sometimes, do things that he would later regret.

He wasn't sure what it was about Sakura that frustrated him.

He could say it was her attitude, but she really was different than the fan girls who would stalk him around the village with gooey doe eyes. She was assertive, calm under duress, and sometimes, just the perfect mix of tomboy to offset her pink hair. He could say it was her strength, but he didn't think she was a weakling, holding him back, or even someone whose strength made him ache to fight. He could say it was the fact that she was a girl, but that didn't make any sort of sense at all, because Sasuke was decidedly asexual.

So, perhaps that he couldn't decide what frustrated him about her was part of the frustration.

It didn't make a lot of sense, really, but what about Uchiha Sasuke did?

He walked down the dirt road with these thoughts on his mind, increasing his agitation. The buzzing, anxious feeling increased when he spotted Sakura walking towards him on her way into town. He frowned when her eyes lit up and a smile crossed her face and he tried to shove down the humming feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was so different from the sharp aggravation he felt around the others, and it unnerved him.

"Good morning," she chirped at him, rocking back on her heels. Her strange, teal eyes were liquid in the morning sunlight. "How are you, today?"

"Frustrated," he grunted, shoving his hands into his deep pockets. He watched the frown pull at her lips and he snorted.

"Well, that's hardly new, is it?" She chuckled then, and stepped forward, lifting her cool palm to his forehead, knocking his bangs out of his eyes. "I'm surprised you noticed, really. Do you have a fever?"

Sasuke jerked in surprise as her cool fingers pressed against his flesh. It was a strange feeling, one that put him in mind of his mother's gentle fingers, of his brother's teasing pokes. He watched Sakura's concerned face hovering in his vision as she checked his temperature, and something _clicked_ strangely into place.

"I like you." The words blurted out of his mouth, strange echoes of Naruto's love declaration to the girl so long ago. It made him wince, but he watched her face raptly all the same.

Sakura had gone pale in surprise, her eyes wide and unfocused. "What?"

"I like you."

And then his lips were over hers, clumsy and tactless and probably too hard, likely to bruise her. It didn't seem to matter, because she was too frozen and surprised to notice, although when he tried to pull away, she caught him in her demonic vice grip and pulled him back hard enough that she'd _definitely_ bruised _him._

_When it came down to it, Sasuke was eternally frustrated._

_But he was just realizing that some of it was his fault._


	13. Gift

59. Gift

He hadn't meant it. She knew that. He'd been exhausted beyond measure by Husky's training, and she'd offered her bed. He'd accepted gratefully. He couldn't have known the consequences, at least not in his fatigue.

That night, after he'd returned home, she'd stared at her rumpled purple comforter before crawling warily into bed. She'd extinguished the light and lay listening, as always, to the quiet sound of her girls moving about upstairs. The dull thudding of Nightingale's feet as she paced outside the bathroom, the quiet hiss of Oriole's shower. The creaking of Thrush's door as she turned in for the night. Wrapped in her comforter, her hair sprawled across her pillow, she'd waited for the darkness to come. Always, it came, spreading over her vision until she collapsed in terror and was pulled into the recesses of sleep.

That night, it didn't come. She'd lain there, terrified, convinced the delay meant that the nightmares would be inexplicably worse, that she'd barely be fit to be seen the next day due to frayed nerves and lack of sleep. She'd clenched her fingers into her bed sheets and waited for the bloody images to play out, to tear her out of the sounds of her home and into the screams of the nightmare maze.

Abruptly, the image of Shepherd came to mind, sprawled out on her bed, snoring lightly. Light shone on his sleeping face, and his brown hair was softly tousled. She'd smiled then, the only smile she'd ever given to the night, and rolled onto her side, burying her face in the soft fabric of her pillow. That night, the darkness didn't come.

He hadn't meant it. She knew that. But he'd given Sparrow the greatest gift imaginable. Peace.


	14. Grave

Set towards the end of the prequel. So technically, a spoiler for the prequel of The Color Blue, but not for The Color Blue itself.

34. Grave

The ceremony had been short. There were so many others to be buried, they didn't have time for long eulogies, even for the most beloved of the fallen.

Naruto had stayed behind when Tigerdragon and the mourners had moved on to lay the next body to rest. His entire being was shaking with grief and confusion. He couldn't understand in the slightest what Aelu had done, why she'd chosen to interfere in the fight. So what if he would have lost? It would have been worth it to see her smiling again.

He watched the smooth grave unceasingly for several hours, the dim sounds of quick funereal rites echoing in the background. He heard mourners come and go. He felt the sun rise high into the sky and sink low into the earth. He registered the time by how well he could still read her name on the small gravestone, and he knew the moon would be rising soon.

Shaken, only half conscious, he turned his eyes to the sky.

He watched the stars come twinkling out of their beds, shimmering brightly despite the death of his friend. With his eyes he traced the heart he'd made with Aelu so long ago, when he'd first confessed. A small, sharp pain lanced his heart for every twinkling ball he counted in the small constellation.

His heart closed off, slammed shut on his feelings to stop the pain.

It would be the last time he would look at the stars for a very long time.


	15. Kiss

Set towards the end of The Color Blue.

10. Kiss

Oriole shivered in the winter wind. The red mittens on her hands held back the frosty air while she had to hold back a smile. The hat and mittens had been gifts from Falcon-kun. She even had a scarf upstairs, though she'd chosen not to wear it. "Ne, Falcon-kun, look," she pointed up at the sky with a smile. The snow was falling tirelessly, spinning and swirling, and the sky was a bright blue grey. Neji looked up and smiled lightly.

"It reminds me of your eyes," she said, nibbling her lip, swiping up a stray snowflake. Neji startled and looked over at her. She chuckled and smiled, her entire face flushing, though from the cold or not, he couldn't say.

A strong gust of wind kicked up then, ripping off her hat and throwing it into a snow bank down the street. Oriole made a strangled noise of frustration as her curls went flying in the wind and turned to go after the hat. Neji's warm hand on her shoulder stopped her, and she watched with twitching lips as her plodded through the snow-filled street after the escaped cap.

He was so calm, icy and firm like the snow that crunched beneath her boots. It steadied her somewhat, to know that she could lean on him, rely on him. Neji trudged back to her, the hat gripped tightly in his hands. She smiled at him as he moved to place it back on her fugitive curls. His snow colored eyes flashed once as his glove ran across her cheek.

A warm pressure rested against her lips.

It dazed her. He was so _warm._ Her hands clenched tightly.

Then it was over.

Neji's eyes were clouded over, and Oriole fought the desire to say something, anything, to stop herself from licking her lips.

Then the wind tore the hat out of his grip, ironically placing it in nearly the same place as before. Neji growled in frustration and she laughed. He spun to go after it, and she slipped her mittened hand into his.

"I'll go with you."

Perhaps there was more heat in him than she'd originally thought.

It wasn't such a bad thing.


	16. Laugh

A strange moment between Sparrow and Blaze. Set after the prequel to The Color Blue, but before The Color Blue itself.

63. Laugh

Things were difficult after Fox left.

Sparrow was left with the burden of holding his teams together without him, with the help that Oriole and Fennec would sometimes offer. It was her responsibility, passed to her because he'd risen from her subordinate to her leader in a rare power play that she both respected and admired him for. She was stuck with the responsibility and none of the power, but she was okay with that. Because Fox had saved them all from Destruction, and saved her from the quiet tedium of her street rat life.

Things were boring after Fox left.

Blaze was left with the task of holding down the fort, so to speak. He was charged with keeping the peace between Force and Guild, although his only contact had left. It was difficult for him to take the order seriously, without his friend there to upbraid him, challenge him to drinking games and generally just lift his spirits. But he'd do it because he'd promised the boy.

They didn't realize until much later that they'd begun meeting weekly, exchanging reports and stories about Fox over mugs of shou, and occasionally, iyasu. They didn't realize that they'd solved each others' problems, that they'd formed a friendship of convenience through their ties to Fox.

When they did realize it all, they smiled. That boy was the great unifier, the undisputable great leader and friend of the century. They raised a toast to him, then, in the quiet bar. And they laughed.


	17. Memory

Set before the prequel, but does not contain spoilers. Sparrow's past, from Jackal's POV. Also, at this time, she's either around five, and he's around twelve, or else, she's around seven and he's around fifteen. I never really sketched the ages out.

45. Memory

From the moment he'd first rescued the girl, he'd been captivated. She'd clearly been abandoned, and despite the awfulness of the situation, she'd quieted her younger sister and gone about trying to get them to safety. The girl couldn't have been more than five, but she was a remarkably bright young thing.

And then there was her smile.

So when she asked him questions, he answered them. When she begged him to let her practice with him, he obliged. But when she asked to join raids, he turned her down.

She was a bright pixie who had been hurt once already, and he couldn't bear the thought of her being hurt again.

He was aware of his team's feelings on the matter. Canis and Dogear weren't pleased that he'd picked up another stray, especially since he was keeping her non-combatant. That just meant another useless mouth to feed. And Fennec-chan was growing ever more resentful of the girl, though he couldn't figure out why.

So when she was finally able to wield a kunai impressively, when she could put Canis down and hold Jackal off, he decided to take her with them. It would eliminate the frustration his team felt, and he hoped it would have an effect on Fennec as well, though the girl had gone missing earlier in the week and would probably stay gone for several more days.

The raid had been a trap.

He hadn't seen it coming, and the overwhelming number of enemies had been difficult to fight back. He'd grinned at the unexpected sight of Sparrow taking down ninja twice her size. They'd fought side by side for several minutes when the kunai had been thrown at her.

He'd taken it without hesitation.

Almost immediately he realized what he'd done.

The kunai was clearly poisoned, and the weapon had been sharpened to a razor point, so it slid with ease into his chest, piercing his heart and distributing the poison to his system. He'd crumpled, dropped to his knees in front of her, his eyes wide. Sparrow stared at him horrified as his eyes darted over her face, trying to memorize it. He knew he was dying. It was obvious she did, as well.

He wanted to go with her face painted on his memory.

She threw herself at him then, screaming "Don't go!" repeatedly, holding him with terror-ridden arms. He held her, calmed her. There was so little time. So many things he wanted to say.

Canis walked over, dismayed. Jackal waved him away. This moment was for Sparrow.

"Sparrow-chan." His voice was fading, a bad sign. And the girl wouldn't look at him, still trembling in despair. He tried again.

"Suzume-chan." He said her true name like a prayer, his body going weak when she looked him in the eyes.

_I love you…_

_He crumpled, the stirring look in her beautiful eyes carrying him into the afterlife, burned into his memory._


	18. Nightmare

**16. Nightmares**

**The walls ran sticky red with the blood of her enemies. A welter of gore stuck to her forearms, but she wiped at it hastily with the shreds of her sleeves and pushed forward. The three bodies sprawled on the ground seemed to reach for her even in death, and she could barely pull her eyes away from their empty, accusing faces. **

"**Ie, don't do this to me," she whispered, charging down the brick alleyways, away from the corpses. "Give her back to me!"**

**A quiet, siren-like laugh twined its way down the alley and rang in her ears. "Give her back!" she screamed again, brandishing her last kunai like a talisman against evil. The laughing ninja peeled herself from the shadowy wall and sneered at Sparrow, held open her arms and laughed. "There is no one to give back," she cackled, withdrawing a kunai of her own. The sharp edge still managed to glint in the low light. **

"**Give her back," Sparrow sobbed one last time, the words caught in her throat. "Please."**

**The fair-haired ninja screamed with laughter and threw the kunai. There was a taut moment of silence filled with the sound of whooshing air, and then a harsh clang of metal as their kunai collided. The blonde ninja threw herself forward, slamming Sparrow back into the rough brick of the wall. **

"**Stoo…p," Sparrow wheezed, clenching her wrists over the hands around her throat. The other laughed again, almost hollowly, and her fingers bit deeper into the soft tissue of Sparrow's neck. She struggled, trying in vain to remove the girl's persistent fingers. She could feel the other ninja's warm breath on her ear as she chuckled, and every hair on her body rose in terror.**

"**Come, now, dear, I want to hear you beg," the girl cooed, her soft pink lips nearly pressed to the shell of Sparrow's ear.**

**Broken glass and acid rushed through Sparrow's veins, burning her from the inside out. She cried out blissfully and sucked in much-needed air, tears exploding from her eyes as her fingers clenched once in a death blow. There was a crack, much like the sound of clattering bricks, and the fair-haired ninja fell, crumpled into her black robes. Her eyes chilled and emptied of life. **

"**Sister," Sparrow wept, slipping down the bloody wall and collapsing in a sobbing heap. Behind her, a hundred fair-haired bodies littered the floor of the alley, all of them broken by her own hand. Another cackle drifted into the alleyway, and Sparrow felt her weary muscles stiffen.**

"**Come, now, sister dear," the voice hissed in its sweetest tone. "Don't you want to play?"**

**Sparrow forced herself to her feet as the newest blonde emerged from the bloody walls.**

**(This is the horror Sparrow feels when she dreams of her sister.)**


	19. Numb

47. Numb

She stood at his grave the entire morning. It had rained the night before, and the newly churned dirt was a mess of mud. She hadn't wanted to place her flower on top of it, but she'd finally placed the single white lily on the foamy mess.

He was like that flower, she thought.

He had been exuberant, energetic, a pure light of enthusiasm in what would have been an otherwise boring life for her.

She was like the dirt.

He'd offended her offhandedly one day, most probably by accident. A Tsuni witch, she'd cursed him. Although it hadn't been harshly, it had changed him. He would come to her at strange times and offer almost chivalrous services. The look in his eyes-a skittering, unfocused stare- convinced her that he was doing it out of fear. She'd tainted him utterly.

And she'd never removed it.

The skies opened two hours into the morning, and rain fell over her, further churning the mud. Numb fingers reached out gently, trying to rescue the poor flower from the soil. But it was already too late. The entire flower was covered in almost greasy mud. She wiped at it, trembled like a plucked harp string when the petal came off in her hand. Horrified, the threw it back onto the grave and watched it sink slowly into the mess.

She forced herself to stand there in the rain, unsure if the warm wetness cascading down her cheeks were tears or raindrops. She went so cold, so numb, that either were possible. A crack of lightning split the sky, and she crumpled to her knees. It was all so very unfair.

Warm hands clamped around her freezing shoulders, but she couldn't tear her eyes from Husky's grave. She let the taller person help her to her feet, and guide her back to her parent's inn. Warm, callused hands helped her up the stairs. Warm, concerned fingers massaged the blood back into her hands. A towel was found, and warm, sturdy arms enfolded her and dried her. She sat, trembling, on the edge of her bed as the warm body leaned against her and rocked her. The tears broke free, and she sobbed unabashedly, fingers rising to cover her eyes.

All the while the warm arms held her and a hot breath blew against her cold neck.

The tears stopped, eventually, and the heat began to return to her body. A warm smile pressed itself to her check as she stopped shivering.

"Be safe, my dearest rose."

Asayake screamed and turned around, falling off the edge of her bed.

On her dark sheets lie a single red rose.

(If you don't get it, tell me, and I'll explain in a review)


	20. Number

The sequel to Numb. The title is sort of a play on words. :D

90. Number

Husky could remember the old days. The days before Fox.

He'd been just a number then, in a long list of ninja fighting and dying for a piece of land.

He could remember the old days. The days before Asayake.

He'd been heartless, still. He'd thought little of everyone, couldn't believe how weak the Guild had become. Children in ninja clothing parading around as squad leaders and seconds, and it all disgusted him. He couldn't see the sense in it, couldn't feel any of the joy of peace. Peace to him only meant less money and fewer jobs to fill his empty life.

Then he'd met Fox.

Never before would he have agreed that power came directly from will. The boy couldn't be stopped. Couldn't be put down for anything. He simply refused to give up. To leave comrades behind. To leave _anyone_ behind.

Then he'd met Asayake.

It was not an accidental insult. He'd despised the witches; he'd despised the false ninjas. He'd thrown his acid-bitter hate at her, and she'd thrown it right back, a mirror of his faults. The dreams of the men he'd killed stopped haunting his sleep. The laughter invaded him. He couldn't stop smiling.

He couldn't stop following her, staring at her, _seeing her._

_He'd finally stopped being a number._


	21. One Day

42. One Day

One day, Kakashi knew Naruto would understand his decisions. He would understand that Kakashi had seen himself in Sasuke, had wanted to give the lost boy some guidance. He would understand that first impressions meant a lot, and that the little trickster lay-about that he'd presented himself as was a hard impression to shake. He would understand that Kakashi had never been very personable to begin with, was antisocial at some of his better moments.

One day, Naruto knew Kakashi would recognize him as a real ninja. He would come to realize that he'd grown, matured, and knew what he was doing. That he was _fit_ to be a Hokage, to be a leader. He'd realize that by throwing Naruto to the wayside, he'd inadvertently made him stronger. He would realize that Naruto had come to him as a child (if a very mature, lonely one), but had left an impression on him regardless.

One day, they'd understand each other, if not perfectly, then much better than now.

One day, they'd be able to be in the same room without emanating a certain _dislike for each other._

_That day just wasn't here yet._


	22. Pain

38. Pain

Her friends had told her pieces once. Oriole was a merchant's daughter. Sparrow was a thief's get. She hadn't traded her story in return.

Oriole had been wanted. Sparrow had been wanted. Yes, they were girls, lesser gender and inferior, but necessary on the whole. Still needed because at least they were extra hands.

Fennec hadn't been wanted.

Her mother was a ghost in her memories. A woman who painted her lips and dressed in cheap, flowing kimono. A woman with a pinched face and sharp eyes.

She barely knew her drunkard father.

But she could remember the men. Her mother's customers and boyfriends, who had leered and grimaced and spat at her as they draped her mother across their knees and laughed. They would come and go in the space of a night, usually. The worst ones were those who stayed. The ones who would take more than one cursory glance at her before they disappeared into her mother's chamber for the night.

The ones who saw her eyes.

Her mother would laugh then. Leave weeping, festering scars in her daughter's heart as she mocked the gentle person that had somehow sprung from her flesh. It was tolerable. Painful, but tolerable.

Then one night her father came home. He'd been missing for over a year, and Fennec thought he was dead. But there he was, looming in the doorway, plastered and frowning, his eyes wild.

"Where's your mother, brat?" He growled, shoving his way in and slamming the door behind him. Fennec froze.

"She's out. Busy." There was a pause as he stared at her then. They both knew what _busy_ meant.

"Brat. Where?"

"I- I don't know. Out."

"You lying good for nothing! Just like your mother!" He snarled and shoved her. He spun in mad circles as she cradled her arm and leaned against the harsh wood of the wall. She moved the sore appendage experimentally and whimpered when a sharp pain bolted up her arm. He turned to her, fixated on the weak noise coming from her mouth and exploded in fury.

He cursed then, and hit her. Repeatedly. She would crawl away, only to be pinned again under a harsh hand. He kicked her in the gut and laughed. And when she glared at him, he completely lost it.

"Those eyes," he growled, "Those damnable banshee eyes. It's why she doesn't love me, thinks I'm the one that gave you those damn monster eyes. I'll show her. I'll show you both. We'll just carve them out, won't we, love?"

His drunken hands slid a knife from his pocket, and with three quick lunges he caught her with it. Screaming, she turned, catching the blade over her eye. The door was thrown open, and two large men hauled her father out on the street. She could hear him screaming and the ensuing scuffle, but it sounded so far away as she ran her fingers over her bloody face. Her mother stared down at her sharply, her kimono disheveled on her thin frame.

"Stupid little bitch," the woman snapped, tossing hair out of her eyes. "Don't you know better than to let trash in? Ugh, of course not. I should have known you were addled. Look at those eyes. You're mad, after all. That's enough of that, then. Out. Out!"

She was put out. Permanently.

She hadn't traded her story with Oriole or Sparrow. But they understood.

It was a story full of pain.


	23. Please

Naruto being adorable as a small child. However, this takes place during the prequel of The Color Blue. So SPOILERS. Don't read if you don't want it ruined.

28. Please

"Can I kiss you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"You don't know the magic word."

"Oh."

"Can I kiss you?"

"What's the magic word?"

"Aelu?"

"Yes?"

"What's the magic word?"

"I can't tell you that, silly."

"Oh."

"Can I kiss you?"

"What's the magic word?"

"I don't know!"

"No."

"Damn."

"Can I kiss you?"

"What's the magic word?"

"Banana."

"What?"

"Is it banana?"

"Why would it be banana?"

"Why do your lips need a magic word?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"What's the magic word?"

"Just let me kiss you already."

"No."

"Let me kiss you."

"No."

"Can I kiss you?"

"What's the magic word?"

"Toejam.""Naruto, that's disgusting."

"I know."

"Can I kiss you?"

"What's the magic word?"

"Abracadabra. Hocus Pocus. Jutsu."

"Hahaha. No."

"Can I kiss you?"

"What's the magic word?"

"Am I even getting close?"

"No."

"Damn."

"Can I kiss you?""Naruto, come on, enough.""Can I kiss you?"

"Naruto, really, I mean it."

"Can I kiss you?"

"Naruto!"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Fine. What's the magic word?"

"Please."

"…"

"Please?"

"…"

"Aelu? Please?"

"…Okay."


	24. Promise Me

Takes place at the end of the prequel of The Color Blue. So, SPOILERS.

23. Promise Me

He'd taken off the standard Guild blue that morning. Sparrow had gone out of her way to pack his things for him, and Fennec had picked out the most obnoxious clothes she could find. He had glanced down at the hideous orange jumpsuit in horror, and had only been persuaded to wear it because of Oriole's promise that it suited him.

Fox stood at the crossroads of Quadgram, the square of the city, and stared down the long road he'd entered the city by five long years ago. Shouldering his bag, he unclipped his earring and dropped it inside, keeping it safe and hidden from prying Konoha eyes.

"Fox." A squeaky, angry voice made him turn. Blaze reclined against a wall, his eyes bright. Fox joined him, their eyes sparking in unspoken rivalry.

"Blaze." He smiled and adjusted his bag, glad for the opportunity to say goodbye. It hadn't been easy, to bid farewell to his Guild family, but he'd had the chance. He hadn't been sure he'd get the same for Blaze.

"So you're really leaving?"

"Yeah."

"Are you coming back?"

"I don't know, yet."

There was a heavy silence as the two boys looked out over the bustling morning crowd. They were only ten, but they felt like old men already.

"I'll miss you." It was spoken thickly, and the red-haired boy looked away in embarrassment, glaring down at the packed dirt under his feet. Fox blinked in surprise, and then a wide grin split his face.

"Ne, you're not allowed to go soft on me, Blaze," he joked, shoving the older boy's arm. Blaze whipped around, his face reddening, and pushed Fox against the wall roughly.

"Fuck you," he hissed. He gave Fox another shove and pulled away, his eyes falling as he put his back to the blonde.

"Blaze." The red haired boy froze at his rival's serious tone. The blonde had destroyed buildings with his bare hands and toppled the most terrifying man in the entire city. Blaze turned around with trepidation and felt ice slide down his spine at Fox's crumpling look.

"Protect them," he whispered, the words bobbing in the stream of noise from the crowd. "Protect them for me." He reached out then, and caught Blaze by the shoulders, shaking him roughly. "Protect them!" His eyes had gone an electric shade of blue, wide and crazed. Blaze's arms trembled as Fox's fingers dug into his arms, but he didn't pull away.

"I will," he nodded, his voice low and stern. "I will."

"Promise me," Fox hissed, the words forcing their way into Blaze's ears and burning a path through his body.

"I will," he reaffirmed.

"Promise me!" It was a shout, one that drew the attention of bypassing merchants and mothers, but the boys ignored the crowd.

"I promise!"

The hands dropped from Blaze's shoulders and Fox pulled away, a broken smile on his face.

"Thank you."

Fox turned then, to go. Everything that needed said had been said. He walked down the long road to the Quadgram gate, and after a few seconds of uncertainty, crossed the small line of dirt that separated Quadgram from country. He frowned and looked back one last time, unsure if the red speck he could see in the distance was Blaze or not. Naruto adjusted his bag again, unaware that the burden he carried was nothing to the one he'd just lain on Blaze.


	25. See You In Hell

Set at the very end of The Color Blue, but hasn't yet been reached in the story. Therefore, SPOILERS.

52. See You In Hell

It would be so easy.

He had Orochimaru by the throat, pressed against the brick wall of a half-decimated building. The man wasn't even fighting, had gone completely weak except for his hateful snake eyes. There was no one else around; they were all fighting elsewhere.

It would be so easy.

He could kill him here. A kunai to the heart or the throat. Hell, just a quick twist of his wrist.

It would be a sweet revenge for poisoning his mind, drawing his attention too far from his brother, stealing him from the first bits of happiness he'd had in a long time. It would be a delicate justice for all those who died when the sannin had attacked the village, most especially for the Third Hokage. It would be righteous action, to remove his evil from the world.

No one would blame him for it.

Kakashi would be relieved. Sakura would gush at his prowess. Naruto would share with him one of those _looks _that meant he understood completely, and backed him entirely.

It would be so easy.

But Sasuke found his hands uncurling from around his old master's throat and he let the body fall to the ground. Somehow, it just wasn't worth it. Somehow, it didn't quite do the justice a trial would do. Or the sweet revenge of letting the man rot inside this new body. And he just didn't have the stomach for any more killing.

It would be so easy. But he didn't need it.

He turned then, to find someone, _anyone_, hopefully Jiraiya, to hold the snake down so that he could go help Naruto, when the sannin's tongue wrapped around his neck.

There was a scuffle, the scraping sounds of Sasuke's sandals as Orochimaru pulled him backwards to him.

But Sasuke was faster, better. The kunai was in Orochimaru's chest and digging before the snake realized it. He stumbled back in disbelief and his eyes darted, probably looking for Kabuto, who was nowhere to be seen. Blood, black and fetid, poured from his chest as he leaned heavily on the crumbling brick wall. They stared at each other, master and student, their glaring, blazing eyes dark and reflecting.

And then Orochimaru started to laugh, a demented laugh of a man finally, _finally_, facing his fears. The laugh spiraled high over the sounds of distant fighting, and then quieted abruptly.

"I'll see you in Hell, Sasuke-kun," he hissed, his eyes fading, going dark as his shuddering chest stilled.

A quick fire jutsu ensured that the snake wasn't faking, that he wouldn't be coming back, and that Kabuto wouldn't be getting his master's body to experiment with.

Sasuke turned away then, darting down the emptied street to join the fighting elsewhere, Orochimaru's words echoing in his ears one last time.

_I'll see you in Hell, Sasuke-kun._

For the first time, he didn't think so.


	26. Smile

2. Smile

Sparrow and Fennec had not always been friends. This wasn't common knowledge, but it was true. Fennec, a year older than Sparrow, had been brought into Jackal's fold at the tender age of not quite five, and had lived with him for several years before Sparrow's arrival. To say that he was her first love would not be quite accurate, but he'd certainly been her first _something. _

Warm, strong, caring. Big hands and a big heart. Only a handful of years older than her in age, but hundreds in spirit. She'd adored him.

Then he'd drug a miserable Sparrow in off the streets much the same way he'd found Fennec. And Fennec had lost him irrevocably to the younger girl. She hadn't been sure at first if it were her imagination, until she'd seen the other girl's smile. The bright, soul-lifting grin that set off Jackal's own crooked smirk, something her own smile never did.

Wolf had joined then, in that middle year between Sparrow's birth as a ninja and Jackal's death. He was another cast off, picked up by a lonely Fennec who had found the boy crying on the curb. He'd taken to following her like a duckling, shadowing her so profoundly that she'd hardly notice at times. It was then that he noticed her smiling into mirrors, trying to find the flaw with her toothy grin.

He'd thought the smile was perfect.

The rest, of course, was history. Jackal's death. Sparrow's exile from the team. She would start another one, later, after grieving absently for her leader. In her spite, Fennec would split the small groups of ninja into four, into different sections of Guild, to keep Sparrow far, far away. Because she still thought that Sparrow's smile was too pretty. Too bright and happy for someone who had killed their beloved leader.

A thought that would only change after meeting Fox.

They would come to terms then, slowly. Their poor, aching hearts would meet in agreement, and they would leave their beloved Jackal-sama gently in the past.

Sometimes, Wolf still caught Fennec smiling into mirrors, turning this way and that to see what looked the best. But she would turn away quickly, much more quickly than before, still unable to find the flaw that had lost her Jackal-sama's attention.

Wolf still thought the smile was perfect.

It occurred to him that perhaps smiles were the subtle language of love_._


	27. Snow

74. Snow

The pale flakes coming down outside the window reminded Sparrow of waning pixie lights as they fluttered and twirled on their way to the ground. She was sitting at the kitchen table, running her chilled fingers over the warm ceramic of her mug of hot chocolate. Thrush and Nightingale stood behind her, laughing, as they draped scarves around each other on their way out the back door. She could hear Finch, Wren and Mockingbird outside behind the squad house, engrossed in the snowball fight Thrush and Nightingale were so eager to join.

As the porch door slammed shut, Sparrow took another sip of her chocolate and tapped the mug thoughtfully. They'd invited her out to join them, of course. But the pixie snow didn't appeal to her so much as a warm drink and a quiet squad house. She looked up as two more people thudded down the stairs and appeared around the stairwell.

"Sparrow, aren't you going out to enjoy the snow?" Oriole snatched her mittens off the table and slipped them on. A ridiculous red woolen hat was pulled down tightly over her ebony curls, and the bright red mittens added to the oddness of the ensemble. Neji, behind her, was clad almost entirely in white winter clothes.

"You know I don't like the cold," Sparrow murmured, aware that the other girl wasn't really listening. She was too excited, and already knew the answer, anyway. Sparrow watched as her lively friend spun and snatched the boy's hand, leading him out into the frozen street. She sat a few moments more, sipping her drink, then tiptoed over to the window to peer out. She leaned against the window frame and shivered as goosebumps ran up her arms.

Oriole and Neji were talking quietly, their faces turned upwards to the blue grey sky. Sparrow could hear her girls still shrieking softly in the background. She set her mug on the windowsill and pressed her cheek against the cold pane with a sigh. The snow was falling more quickly now, and the wind picked up, tearing Oriole's hat off and flinging it down the street. Sparrow's lips turned upwards as Neji went reluctantly treading through the snow after it. The squad leader turned away from the scene momentarily to glare at the back door when a particularly loud scream ricocheted from the backyard. She turned back, and was immediately glad that she'd set down the mug.

They were kissing.

Neji, bent over Oriole in a slightly protective stance, holding her absurd red hat loosely in one hand. Oriole, face turned upwards, her hands fisted in their red mittens. Kissing.

_We're losing her._

Her mind wheeled in two directions from that thought.

_I'll miss her._

_About damn time._

Sparrow picked up her drink and took another sip. Pursing her lips, she walked into the kitchen and poured the remainder down the sink. It had gone cold.


	28. Stars

Takes place during the prequel to The Color Blue. So, SPOILERS.

54. Stars

Aelu and Naruto stretched out on the grassy hill, rubbing their hands in the velvet moonflowers. The stars above them were twinkling brightly, illuminating the dark, moonless night. Naruto chuckled as a piece of grass tickled his face and he pushed Aelu playfully. Laughing, she tickled him, and they rolled around on the hill for several moments before they lay back, exhausted.

"I really like the stars," Naruto said with a sigh, holding up his hand and drawing constellations with his fingers. "They're so pretty."

"Mhm," Aelu hummed quietly, a tune Naruto couldn't quite place but that made him smile. "I like them, too," she whispered, taking Naruto's hand and tracing a constellation he had missed. He grinned and showed her another.

"Hey, Aelu?"

"Hm?"

"There's something I like better than the stars, though."

"Is it ramen?"

"No. Well, yes, but no." He rolled over and looked in her teal eyes, almost black in the dim starlight.

"What is it?" She looked back at him, eyes wide.

"I like you."

"Oh."

Grinning, he took her hand and drew a heart in the stars.


	29. Zero

80. Zero

Oriole had always likened her life to that of a bomb.

Mediocre, unnoticed in life. Always ticking softly towards that final note, that explosive, magnificent, awe-inspiring death.

The fire that had killed her parents had been the trigger, of course. It had sent her spiraling into the clutches of those who knew how to use her well. Not that she begrudged them that. It had given her a duty, a desperately needed purpose in a world where she was lost and alone. From the moment she'd become a ninja, she'd been perfectly aware how it would end.

She was like a bomb. She knew the final result, but it wasn't given her to know how long until that end moment _was._

In a way, it drove her crazy, because she never knew whether to begin something new, to try to attain something that drew her in and mesmerized her, because she didn't know how much time she had left. She hated leaving things unfinished, after all.

That was why being with Neji was so painful. Because now, more than ever, she could feel the hand turning on her timer, the red numbers receding, counting down to that inevitable zero.

When they went out to the final battle, she'd _felt_ the timer reach one. It was a pain so exquisite that it had pushed her forward, deeper into the fray, determined to make the final moment count, to make the explosion as beautiful as possible. As big as possible to cover all the horrified screams of her friends.

Neji was behind her, but she couldn't stop, couldn't let him know that it was nearly time. She wanted to turn, wanted to hold him and kiss him and tell him everything would be all right. It would all be lies, of course, but they would be beautiful lies.

She pushed forward instead, fighting like a mad devil, tearing down enemies in her last frenzied flashes.

The moment of zero arrived, a delicate, empty pain filling her chest. The kunai in her gut made her fall, dropped her where she stood, though she'd decimated over four squads. Neji roared behind her, but the sound was an empty echo in her skull.

She'd known. She'd always known. She was a bomb.

Neji knelt beside her in the falling snow, watched horrified as her blood ran out onto the stone and slush. He called desperately for a medic, applied as much pressure as he could to the wound. The fading light in Oriole's eyes made him shiver in desperation.

For an appalling moment, he completely understood. The words they'd exchanged that one soul-bearing night. _This_ was the moment of inevitability.

"Fight it!" he yelled at her, his hands pressed tightly to her abdomen, his eyes wild and crazed in the mini blizzard.

Oriole stared at him as if from far away. She wanted to. She really did. She pushed back at the solidifying black walls that were trying to tear her away from him. She shoved back at inevitability for all she was worth. And as the heavy darkness crept in, she felt liquid tears echo the sadness in her thoughts.

_I tried…I tried…_

Oriole opened her heavy eyes and stared, utterly confused. Neji was sleeping fitfully, his head across a small space of bed by her stomach. The soft beeps of machinery told her she was in the infirmary, as unbelievable as that seemed. She blinked again, incredulous, and stretched her fingers experimentally. They moved in response, ghosting over Neji's hair and down his bruised cheek.

She was alive.

It was a soul-shattering moment. Everything she'd known since she was five years old was suddenly turned on its head and was juggling kunai. Nothing made sense. And yet, Neji's fine hair under her fingertips felt superb to her aching soul. She lay there, pressing her fingers into the soft flesh of his face and crying, until he woke shortly thereafter to call the nurse and press fervent kisses to her lips.

Until that moment, she'd never imagined that the counter could run past zero.


	30. I'll Always Be There For You

100. I'll Always Be There For You

Fennec stood still on the quiet alley road, her breathing soughing in and out of her ears. The swirling dust in front of her obscured her vision, hid Kakashi as the man disappeared.

"_Don't wait up, okay?"_

It was a vague line, delivered arbitrarily, with no precursor. Any other person would have been confused, left gaping and annoyed by the sudden message.

Fennec understood.

All the vagaries of love were lost on her, she knew that. She understood that there were a lot of things she didn't know.

She did know scars.

There was no doubting that Kakashi had many scars. The mask only covered one of many. A physical scar. The ones underneath, the ones that haunted him and made him visit graves for hours in inclement weather, were infinitely worse.

She did know how scars healed.

His words were meant to be a sweet balm, an easy letdown. Something to prevent another scar on both of them. She understood that.

It still hurt.

There was also no doubt in her mind that Wolf had heard, and understood, as well. He was her confidant, her closest companion, and an excellent ninja. There was no chance that he'd missed the older man's words. There was no chance he hadn't puzzled them out. That, more than the vague line, hurt her badly. She'd been dumped through a riddle in front of perhaps the only person who could solve that same riddle. She was horrified.

Trying to hold back the reaction was only making her breathing more uneven. Her fingers clenched and unclenched sporadically, and then Wolf's angular face was in front of hers, his hands clasping her chin gently.

"Taichou? Fennec-taichou." Her vision blurred a moment, and her mismatched eyes managed to focus blearily on him. The cool understanding in his eyes, the sweet tranquility in his palms calmed her.

He understood. He could see the newest scar forming, covering the dozens wrapped over her soul. He could see the old scars, weeping, red monstrosities from her past, from the rejected love of those who should have held her tightly in warm embraces.

"Taichou. I'll always be there for you." His cool palms grew warm on her chin and cheeks, his breath warmed the air between them.

"Hai. You'd better be." His hands dropped as he remembered protocol. His eyes pulled away. They walked forward, silent in the camaraderie of allies, silent in acknowledgement of the moment that had passed.

For once, Fennec swore her scars ached a little bit less.


	31. Rival

66. Rival

Fennec was a survivor. She placed the credit solely on the fact that she'd always had a rival, someone to prove her worth to, someone to prove her existence to.

When she was small, it had been her mother's boyfriends. _Look_, her presence said,_ I'm here every night. Even with these cursed eyes, Mother tolerates me better than you._

When she was thrown out, it had been Canis.

Despite being a nuisance, despite Canis' protestations, she'd still been accepted by Jackal. It had caused the lieutenant no end of grief. But Fennec had thrived on that.

Then it had been Sparrow.

A rival for Jackal's attentions, though Fennec had to face losing, then. But it had still been a fight; it had kept her going. And after Jackal had died, she'd kept her anger, her need to prove herself, and placed all of it on Sparrow's shoulders. The younger girl became the object of obsession. If Sparrow could run a mile without tiring, then Fennec had to run two. If Sparrow gained a new subordinate, Fennec needed a new one, a better one.

Then Fox had shown up.

For the brief time he'd been her rival, he'd been the hardest to compete with. Later, she'd realize that he was just too brilliant a star to try to outshine. But she'd most definitely remained alive thanks to the competitive streak he'd stirred in her.

After Fox left, there'd been no one to confront her. All of her rivals were either dead or friends. And Fennec had floundered, lost without someone to prove herself to. Wolf had stepped up, challenged her on a daily basis, coddled her and shook her and drove her back into working order. Forced her to see that it wasn't a rival that had kept her going, but her own need to be completely contrary, and wasn't that just what she was being now?

She'd put him through a wall for saying it, but things went back to normal.

So when Fox returned, Konoha-nin in tow, she hadn't needed to pick out rivals. But it wouldn't have fit her contrary nature if she didn't hassle the kunoichi, put the most sarcastic bastard flat on his ass, and threaten general bodily harm to anyone who crossed her.

Sometimes it was good not to have a rival.

Sometimes it was better to thrive on general mayhem.


End file.
